Ott Tänak fourth in Rally Sweden
Estonian rally driver Ott Tänak endured a challenging Rally Sweden, battling technical setbacks that took him just out of podium contention, finishing fourth.
The event took place in Umeå, Västerbotten County, in the northeast of Sweden. The rally was relocated there in 2022, to ensure sufficient snow for an arctic-style WRC race.
The Estonian, who won in 2023 and also triumphed at the former circuit in southern Sweden in 2019, started strong and led the rally at one point on Friday, the first full day of competition.
However, cooling system issues with the Hyundai i20 on Saturday cost him valuable time. Despite the setback, though, Tänak secured fourth place and 15 championship points.
Two to go, and the gaps to the lead are so close.
— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) February 16, 2025
@thierryneuville +8.9s
4⃣ @OttTanak +10.7s#WRC #RallySweden pic.twitter.com/Yupnr5QDLF
Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja finished 16.8 seconds behind race winner Elfyn Evans (Wales) in the Toyota Yaris. Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta, also in a Toyota, placed second, while Tänak's Hyundai teammate and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Belgium) took third.
Like the third Hyundai top-tier driver Adrien Fourmaux, two Estonians competing in the Rally2 class, Georg Linnamäe and Robert Virves, also fell victim to the snowbanks after strong early runs.
The 2025 WRC season continues in the very different setting of Kenya, a little over a month from now.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Anders Nõmm
